Evaluation of the Water Delivery Performance of the Menemen Left Bank Irrigation System Using Variables Measured On-Site

Abstract

This study determines the water delivery performance at secondary and tertiary canal level of the Menemen Left Bank Irrigation system, an open canal irrigation system located in Turkey, for the irrigation seasons of the years 2005–2007. At secondary canal level, water supply ratio was used, and at tertiary level, the indicators of adequacy, efficiency, dependability, and equity were used. In calculating these indicators in this study, the amounts of water diverted to the canals, efficiency of water conveyance, and of water application were measured. Of these indicators, the water supply ratio was determined for the secondary canal, and the other indicators were determined for a total of six selected tertiary canals at the head, middle, and lower end of the secondary. At secondary level, the water supply ratios obtained to total irrigation water requirements for the months of July and August, when requirement for irrigation water is at a maximum, was determined to be less than one, while the water supply ratios obtained to net irrigation water requirement was found to be more than one. With regard to water delivery performance at tertiary level, adequacy, efficiency, dependability, and equity were found to be poor for each of the three years of the study, with efficiency rising to “fair” level only in 2005. In order to raise the water delivery performance of the system, it is necessary to reduce water conveyance losses to increase the water application efficiency, to prepare water distribution plans which take in tertiary canals, and to measure and monitor the water diverted to the canals.